Conscience Quiz - Braden - Morality

How conscience develops

Through education, experience, reflection, and moral decision-making guided by Scripture, Church teaching, and prayer.

How to know if your conscience is well formed

- It seeks truth, listens to Church teaching, and leads to peace after choosing what is right.

Connection between Beatitudes and happiness

They show that true happiness comes from living like Jesus — in humility, mercy, and love — not from worldly success or comfort.

Core message of the Beatitudes

They reveal God's vision for the Kingdom — a reversal of worldly values where the humble, merciful, and suffering are blessed.

Modern example (optional tie

in idea) -Each Beatitude can be seen in real life — for example, "Blessed are the peacemakers" can be lived out by people who promote kindness online or resolve conflict peacefully at school.

Why the conscience is called "the voice of God"

Because it's where God's moral law is written on our hearts, guiding us toward good even without external rules.

Connection between conscience and freedom

True freedom is not doing whatever we want; it's choosing what is right guided by a well-formed conscience.

How do we form our conscience

1. Learn God's standards. 2. Pray for the strength to follow God's standards.

What are some sources to help form our conscience?

Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium/Catechism.

What is conscience

The law written on our hearts by God that always summons us to do good and avoid evil.

How must we follow conscience

It must always be obeyed; we are judged according to how we follow it.

Definition of conscience

A judgment of reason by which a person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act they are going to perform, are performing, or have already completed.

Why must a person obey their conscience

Because they are not to be forced to act contrary to it.

What conscience reveals

Divine law and love of neighbor that we fulfill by love of God.

Latin root of conscience

From conscientia

→ to know).

Inclination to good

To be human means to seek the good; it's an essential human trait.

Collective conscience

If enough people seek what's good, society shifts its conscience toward what is right.

Description of conscience

"The most secret core and sanctuary" of a person, where they are alone with God.

Forming vs. informing conscience

→ Forming means learning what is right and wrong;

→ informing means continuing to shape your conscience through truth, prayer, and reflection.

Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit enlightens our conscience to recognize truth and avoid sin.

Dangers of a poorly formed conscience

Leads to moral confusion, justifying sin, or following cultural pressure instead of God's truth.

Informed conscience

A conscience that is well-educated and developed through learning, prayer, reflection, and advice. It's based on truth and helps a person make good moral choices.

Erroneous conscience

When someone tries to make a good moral decision but ends up choosing wrongly without realizing it.

Lax conscience

When a person ignores or doesn't think carefully about whether their actions are right or wrong.

Two important lessons about conscience

Form and inform your conscience, and always obey it.

Two key sources for forming a good conscience

Scripture and the Church's Magisterial teachings.

How following conscience can still lead to an immoral decision

If a person misunderstands right and wrong or justifies sinful actions.

Relationship with God through conscience

Deep in your conscience you can hear God's invitation to be who you are called to be.

Awareness of God's call to love

There is awareness of good and evil; love God and your neighbor as yourself.

Practical judgment of the intellect

Conscience urges you to do good, keeps you from evil, guides your actions, and judges them as right or wrong.

STOP Method

S - Search out the facts (Who, What, Why, When, Where, How)

T - Think about alternatives and consequences.

O - Others: consult people who can help.

P - Pray to the Lord for guidance.

Sources of wisdom for forming conscience

Elders, grandparents, teachers, counselors, close friends, and Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

Authority of the Magisterium

The bishops, in union with the pope, guard and hand on the Deposit of Faith and interpret God's Revelation in Scripture and Tradition.

Definition of Beatitudes

From the Latin beatitudo meaning "blessedness." Found in Matthew 5:3-12 (Sermon on the Mount).

→guide us to follow Jesus more closely to achieve happiness and holiness.

Meaning of "Beatitude"

"Supreme happiness," especially eternal happiness in heaven — the vision of God or entering into His rest.

What the Beatitudes are not

Not the same as the Ten Commandments, not easy to live, and not warnings but attitudes of love.

Beatitudes vs. Commandments

→ Commandments tell us what not to do;

→ Beatitudes show us how to live with Christlike love.